Fractions play a critical role in students’ long-term success. In fact, fractions knowledge at the end of grade 5 strongly predicts performance in algebra and advanced math. But for many students, fractions often equal frustration, ultimately leading them to conclude that math no longer “makes sense,” deterring both present and future opportunities. How can teachers help students increase their understanding of fractions and overall math confidence?
When students use ExploreLearning Frax—an adaptive, game-based program that helps students build mastery of fractions—research shows they achieve significantly larger academic growth in math compared to non-users.
The importance of research-based fractions instruction
The research is clear. If students struggle to understand that fractions are numbers (each with a location on the number line), they will face continuous roadblocks with fraction arithmetic, comparison, equivalence, estimation, and more. The new Frax White Paper highlights the prominent keys to fractions mastery according to educational research and details how Frax uses research-proven strategies to guide students to understanding.
Built on evidence-based practices, Frax incorporates intuitive visual representations (like length models) to introduce the number line representation of a fraction. Students work extensively with length models and number lines to represent, interpret, estimate, order, and compare fractions. As students progress through carefully scaffolded tasks, they develop an essential understanding of fraction magnitude, which is vital for success with algebra and beyond.
Results: Frax positively increases student math achievement
With a modest investment of time (on average 13 hours to complete Frax Sector 1), students and teachers have achieved success with fractions and experienced substantial achievement gains.
ESSA Tier 2 research analyzed 2,530 students in a large, suburban Florida school district who used Frax. The study measured the change in students’ i-Ready Diagnostic math assessments from fall to spring to determine the impact of Frax usage on student achievement. When researchers compared the gains produced by Frax to other interventions, the standardized effect sizes revealed that Frax was 3x more effective than the average educational intervention for 3rd graders and 5x more effective for 4th graders.
Additional research examined grade 3 and 4 students who completed baseline and follow-up assessments using i-Ready Diagnostics, finding that students who used Frax and Reflex experienced larger score gains compared to non-users, regardless of starting achievement levels. Users who scored two or more grade levels below in the fall also had 56% greater scale score gains and were nearly three times as likely to reach their stretch growth goals.
In a large, suburban district in California, an ESSA Tier 3 study examined 1,280 students’ math scale scores over the course of the school year. The research concluded that at-risk grade 3 and grade 4 students who used Frax were more likely to achieve grade-level proficiency than non-users.
The larger impact of Frax
Researchers examined overall math scale scores to provide the most useful test of the impact of Frax on students’ overall ability to perform grade-level math.
Students who used Frax:
- Met or exceeded growth benchmarks at significantly higher rates
- Achieved a higher percentage of expected growth
- Were more likely to reach or exceed grade-level proficiency in the spring, regardless of fall achievement levels
Increased student and teacher confidence with Frax
Frax not only increases fractions knowledge and math achievement, but effective implementation can lead to heightened overall engagement with math. In a qualitative study, elementary teachers across the United States found that in addition to improved fractions knowledge and test scores, Frax significantly increased students’ math engagement and enjoyment, class climate, and confidence in math abilities.
Teachers awarded a Frax Grant received free access to Frax for the school year and reported on their experience. 99.7% of teachers said they saw improvement in student learning and engagement because of Frax, with 87% noting that Frax was better than any other program or tool they used to teach fractions in the past.
